Chapter 345: Chapter 340: Apocalypse Sisters
"Boom!" With the cooperation of her teammates, Ye Dong thrust the Ice Arrow into the Mutated Tiger’s head, and the massive beast finally fell.
Ying Yiming watched the valiant Ye Dong, his eyes shifting slightly: "I’ve long heard of Commander Ye’s great reputation, and seeing you today, it certainly lives up to the name."
"You flatter me; just remember the promise you made," Ye Dong responded indifferently while extracting the Crystal Core from the Mutated Tiger without changing her expression. The core was the size of a fist and, according to the base’s classification, should reach Level 5.
Ying Yiming chuckled softly: "Of course I won’t go back on my word. I’m Ying Yiming, from Jiang Province Base."
Hearing his name, Ye Dong looked up at him and thought to herself, so it’s him!
"Having spent some time at Hu Province Base and always wanting to meet Commander Ye without a chance, I never expected my luck today would result in Commander Ye saving my life," Ying Yiming said, changing from his usual reticent style, attempting to engage her in conversation.
"Everyone has their own needs," Ye Dong nodded to him without any intention of further conversation.
Ying Yiming wasn’t upset; beautiful and strong women always have their privileges, especially when he had something else to discuss.
"I wonder if Commander Ye knows of my intention to trade with your base? The talk I had with Commander Duan Kai was not very pleasant; could I trouble you to reconsider my sincerity?"
"I won’t question the decisions made by Duan Kai," Ye Dong flatly refused.
Ying Yiming’s expression turned a bit disheartened; he always seemed like an upright person, and his disappointed look was oddly endearing, "Alright, it was presumptuous of me. I hope there will be a proper opportunity for a transaction with Commander Ye next time."
Ye Dong wasn’t interested in any more of his nonsense. She had seen too many cunning men; she cut straight to the point: "The Crystal Core?"
Huh? Ying Yiming was stunned for a moment, surprised by Ye Dong’s directness.
His mouth curved up in a helpless smile: "Here they are. I know it’s a bit less, but who would have thought the medicine from your base is so effective? I spent it all without realizing, but if you’re not in a hurry, I can dispose of more zombies in the next few days."
Ye Dong received the Crystal Cores and frowned slightly. For some reason, she always felt like this man was scheming against her, making her feel uncomfortable: "No need, we stick to the original terms. You still owe me three Mutated Vines, and remember, I want them alive."
Alive?
Ying Yiming noted this condition, realizing that Hu Province Base’s research must be closely related to the Mutated Vines.
"No problem. I will find them for you as soon as possible," Ying Yiming agreed very quickly.
After Ye Dong finished speaking with him, she returned to her team, giving Ying Yiming no chance to talk to her.
Noticing her wariness towards strangers, Ying Yiming didn’t persist. Instead, he politely kept his distance. His behavior made Ye Dong soften her initial dislike somewhat, but she reminded herself that this man who was desperate for her sister’s research was definitely not one to be befriended.
Ying Yiming didn’t know that ever since his attempt at Jiang Province Base to obtain the composition of the Zombie Virus antidote, Ye Dong had him pegged as a Level 1 threat, a caution even more severe than her weariness of Leo’s entanglement.
This was the Northwest Mountain Area of Hu Province. It was sparsely populated even before the apocalypse and had since become a paradise for mutant plants and mutant animals. Ye Dong was here to find higher-level Mutated Vines. She and Ying Yiming had agreed on a five-day deadline. If he failed to deliver the proper Mutated Vines within five days, Hu Province Base would never sell any medicine to Jiang Province Base again.
Ying Yiming, from the tone of Ye Dong’s voice, could tell she wasn’t bluffing but issuing a blatant threat. And yet he had to comply, despite there being no help from her, and he couldn’t recall how many times he’d been humbled by people from Hu Province Base.
Ying Yiming’s thoughts were heavy. He thought he was ahead of his peers, but after venturing out, he realized that these people were stronger than him in both power and influence. Returning home, he couldn’t allow those arrogant ’elders’ to dictate terms over him anymore.
The times had changed, and society now needed capable young people like him.
Five days later, an exhausted Ying Yiming handed over three living Mutated Vines to Ye Dong, thereby fulfilling their agreement. Ye Dong took the vines and left, ensuring that Ying Yiming and the others never discovered what she truly needed, which was a small piece of golden soil from the root of the Mutated Vine.
In fact, according to Ye Qiu’s view, even if she gave them the formula, they wouldn’t be able to develop the Zombie Virus antidote, because they wouldn’t have a space like hers to induce a second mutation in the Mutated Vines.
Ye Qiu needed a larger quantity of Mutated Vines in part to develop an antidote that didn’t rely on a secondary mutation in her space, and also for the hatching of the Golden Crow Egg. She had a premonition that it was approaching its critical hatching period, but it required a large amount of energy.
On the return trip, Ye Dong noticed something was off; zombies and mutant animals seemed more active and often moved in groups. This abnormal behavior prompted her to rush back to the base, only to find Duan Kai ordering people to reinforce the defensive walls.
"Did you notice it as well?" Ye Dong asked Duan Kai with a grave expression.
"Whether there’s any strange activity or not, strengthening our defenses can never be wrong. I’ve already informed the Superpower Users in the base not to go out for a while," he answered.
"I encountered a Level 5 mutant animal this time out; do you think there could be even higher levels?"
Hearing this, Duan Kai also fell silent, his eyes looking deep: "Whatever the case, we must fight. We aren’t sheep to be slaughtered."
"You’re right," Ye Qiu came over from a distance, holding a vial of Medicine. "This is a new concoction I’ve developed. It can slow down the movement of the zombies."
Seeing the relief on Duan Kai and Ye Dong’s faces, Ye Qiu continued to dispel their illusions: "But it also affects Superpower Users and mutant animals, so use it with caution!"
Duan Kai took the Medicine with a lighter tone: "It’s enough. We can have people throw it into their groups from a distance."
Li Lewei and Luo Yong walked through the streets of Hu Province Base. They could clearly sense that the atmosphere of the base had grown tenser recently. More people were buying medicine and weapons, and the base, instead of raising prices, was providing many discounts.
The two exchanged glances, also having made many preparations behind the scenes. Li Lewei knew that perhaps the famed zombie and mutant animal hordes that would bury Hu Province Base in the story were about to arrive. With the changes that had already occurred in the plot and no power struggle within the Hu Province Base, would Ye Qiu die this time? Would the base survive?